Chinese firemen and medical personnel remove a victim after he was pulled out from a sewer manhole where seven people died, including a fireman after workmen tried to repair a gas leak.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A father and son who fainted over methane poisoning from a sewer pipe have been extracted but are in critical condition, New Taipei City Government's Fire Department reported yesterday.

Late yesterday, the fire department said it had removed two sewer maintenance workers, aged 45 and 21, who were trapped in a sewer line in Sanchong District.

The father and son, surnamed Chen, fainted underground after a methane leak became hazardous due to hot weather and poor air circulation, according to initial reports.

Around 7:30 p.m., rescuers removed the older Chen, who showed no vital signs and was sent to the New Taipei City Hospital in Sanchong District for emergency care.

As of press time, he had regained a heartbeat but remained in a critical condition, according to his medical team.

The younger Chen was extracted after his father and sent to the MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei where he continues to show no vital signs.

The two men had been part of a crew assigned to the sewer line beneath Alley 35, Lane 193, Zhongzheng North Road in New Taipei City.

Rescuers said that one worker, aged 40, fainted but revived and escaped the pipe independently. The worker is receiving care at MacKay Memorial Hospital's Tamsui branch.